


'Cause This is How I Rule the World

by soporati (orphan_account)



Category: Death Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Uhm, shipping isn't really the focus of this at all, the light/misa is really just implied and background, the matt/mello is tentative and not even here in the first part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-13
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-19 08:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/881613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/soporati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mello didn’t want to sacrifice himself for the Greater Good just so Near could win. He’d do it himself, even if it took him twice as long. Even if it meant hiding under the enemy’s wings in order to gain information. He would win.<br/>(Or, in a much less cryptic manner: Mello doesn't give Near the distraction in the end, and doesn't die. Instead, he chooses to think for himself and join Light's side in order to defeat Kira from the inside.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	'Cause This is How I Rule the World

**Author's Note:**

> An idea I’ve had floating in my head for a bit, that I’m just getting around to writing. It’s gonna be unhappy, and a little scattered for a bit, and I apologize for that. Lots of focus on Near, because Mello has an obsessive personality, as we’ve all seen in canon. As stated above, it’s a tentative Matt/Mello fic, but at this point you can absolutely treat it as a bromance if that ship isn’t your cup of tea. Mello is also a really shit friend to Matt, but he does his best not to stay caught up in his own problems. Oh and yes, Belarusian is intentional. Personal headcanon of mine. Enjoy!

Mello never liked the idea of losing to Near. And he was never a Good Person. Good, bad— it didn’t matter much to Mello, so long as he was on top in the end. And he would be, if it killed him.

He saw an opportunity to help Near catch Kira and end this once and for all, and he very nearly took the chance. But he was a Wammy’s Kid, and he always knew how things would end. Should he go and cause the distraction that Near so desperately needed to pull this off, Mello would die. 

He couldn’t have that.

So the blond formulated a different plan; one more suited to his own goals. He’d catch Kira eventually, but it would be much more beneficial if he did it his way. And he had time to spare— all the time in the world, in fact. 

||—||—||

It wasn’t difficult to find Light Yagami and speak to him directly. Proving that he didn’t intend to harm anyone in Kira’s favor was another task entirely, but he managed well enough after only two days of persuasion. Talking to people like this wasn’t Mello’s most refined talent, but it was simple enough to play into the Japanese man’s ego, vast as it was.

Talking to Matt about it later wouldn’t be near as easy.

||—||—||

"This is not a good idea, Mello. You know it isn’t." Green eyes met ice blue, expressing everything that he was feeling. Mello shook his head.

"You don’t have any faith in me," he snapped in response, which earned him a thoroughly hurt look. He felt a flash of remorse for the thoughtless statement, but pushed it down. Now was not the time for weakness, even around his closest ally.

Matt set his cigarette on the edge of the ashtray— Mello reminded himself then to move the ashtray back to the balcony where it belonged— and stepped forward. “Stop lying to me, and stop lying to yourself," the younger said, lowering his voice the closer he got. He attempted to lift a hand and touch Mello’s face, but it was shoved away.

Mello scoffed. “I’m not lying to either of us. Come back to me when you’ve regained your senses." He stalked away, tone more callous towards his friend than he would honestly have liked, but it got the point across well enough.

Matt of all people should know how important all of this was to him, and he couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that the one who had followed him through everything would so quickly reject the one plan that could bring him final satisfaction. Mello truly felt as though beating Near at this one game would soothe his need for victory, at least for a little while.

It took several hours for Mello to calm down from his fit of anger. After it was over, he came back out into the living room and sat down beside Matt, watching the redhead play his game. The fascination with video games constantly confused Mello, but he found it interesting to watch his roommate rather than the television screen. 

They remained that way for the rest of the night, until they turned in for bed sometime long after midnight.

Everything would be okay.

||—||—||

The very next day, Mello returned to Light’s side, obeying his every whim. He had known before this started that it would be a lot of bowing and scraping, but the Belarusian man wasn’t sure how much longer he could handle this act. But above all, this was worth it, worth everything, if only to see the look on Near’s face when he was finally number one.

Days passed with Mello doing little more than figurative laundry. He ran errands, scoured the internet, and started a website with Matt’s assistance. All to show Light that he could be trusted to do whatever he was told, despite his clear pride. 

Finally, Mello was allowed into the inner circle.

||—||—||

It wasn’t half as interesting as he though it would be. It involved a lot of Misa Amane, who was less than welcomed company in Mello’s eyes. 

Speaking of eyes, Mello had learned more on the Shinigami’s Eyes and what exactly they were good for. Useful they may be, but Mello would never risk any portion of his own life for anything.

For a moment, he contemplated getting Matt to make the deal, but it was quickly wiped from his mind. Matt was necessary, always. He’d learned early on that he couldn’t function properly without someone to remind him to do simple things, such as eat and sleep and put away the bottle.

With Matt out of the picture as an option, Mello resigned himself to not having that advantage, and settled on sending Matt to befriend Amane. He seemed to like her well enough, and perhaps he could learn something.

||—||—||

Two weeks into the plan, and Mello was fed up. He’d had the ridiculously far-fetched expectation of a faster stream of information, and now he was disappointed at the results he gained.

All he knew at this point in time, was that Light wasn’t as easy to manipulate as he’d hoped.

It occurred to Mello that this entire deal could be genuinely difficult for him. The sensible side of his brain insisted that this fact alone was reason enough to begin backing down from it. But the other, stronger half of his decision-making process knew that he loved a good challenge.

Mello would stay and face this foe head-on. He’d made his plans and it was much too late to step down now.


End file.
